INDEPENDENCE, KS. — A new report from the American Health Association shows 136 rural hospitals closed from 2010 to 2021. A record 19 of those closures were in 2020 alone.

Mercy Hospital in Independence, Kan. falls into those stats. It was a big part of the town for decades before closing in 2015 leaving some families to travel an hour or more for health care.

“It was very hard to process and it literally felt like a death in the family,” said Independence Mayor Louis Ysusi.

“There were a lot of tears because they were very unhappy that the hospital was leaving,” said Kelly Passauer, Independence City Manager.

That’s where Brian Williams, President and CEO of Labette Health came in. Just four days after starting his job with Labette, he met with Independence leaders to come up with a solution.

“I just asked a question, what would you like? What do you think the community needs?” he said. “It was we need an emergency room. That was the number one concern.”

Two years after Mercy pulled out of town, Labette opened a new rural emergency hospital. It has a triage, ER beds, a full lab, CT scan, X-ray, a health clinic and cancer center.

“They were ahead of their time on a new health care model a rural emergency hospital that I think can carry smaller communities and all rural states into the future for access to healthcare,” Chuck Goad, Economic Development Committee Chairperson said.

There are no longer in-patient beds or labor and delivery but you can get emergency care. This model helps get patients stable so they can make the trip to larger hospitals in nearby Parsons, Kan. or airlift to Tulsa.

“We’re all having to re-evaluate what’s sustainable. The most important thing to me is how do we built a sustainable model for the next 30 years so that rural America can have the same access to quality health care as someone living in Tulsa or Oklahoma City,” Williams said.

He says hospital CEO’s around the country are using this model, to convert traditional small town hospitals that are losing money to rural emergency hospitals.

In addition to the health benefits, Independence leaders say they have retained and recruited new business because they have healthcare options.

In March, Labette Health is adding more parking, lab space and treatment rooms.

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